SWAMPCULT is from a region of the Netherlands called Waterland, where in ancient times was known to be a swamp. This is where a secret cult was founded and the followers called on the Great Old Ones, which caused all of mankind into death or to be forever enslaved. This is where SWAMPCULT reigns and spreads their message of global terror. Their newest release "The Festival" comes in with nine tracks and a listening time of about 42 minutes.

The opening track "Chapter I - The Village" inserts a Dark and Atmospheric mood. Melancholy and Doom mixed to create a low vibrational tone. The vocals in this track are spoken, as if in a ritual. There are some tonal ranges in the spoken piece. The over feel is low and somber. There is a seamless transition into track two "Chapter II - The Old Man" with the caw of crows, the ultimate bringer of death. Another track that is kept extremely low and moody. The bass in this track stands out the most.

"Chapter V - The Rite", track five, is creepy, plain and simple. With the spoken bit at the start of the track and the demon summoning, but there is some pretty interesting Folk inspired elements here too. At about two minutes and thirty seconds, the guitars come in creating a more engaged track. The drums are really raw in this one. The tempo is extremely slow and the incantations throughout are just as creepy as the first. Track six "Chapter VI - The Flight" starts up right were track five breaks, with the exception that there are far more guitar elements here. The bass is really good in this track. There is more musical experimentation in this track than almost any other track on the album and sadly it only comes in at a tiny two minutes and twenty-two seconds.

The final track "Chapter IX Epilogue - Betwixt Dream and Insanity", ends the album with a hard and intensely low track. There are keys that create a different energy and the drums create an interesting contrast with the super low bass and guitars and the keys.

SWAMPCULT's "The Festival" is an unusual album for a few reasons. First, this album is created as a storybook. There is an order you have to listen, at least the first time, and the vocals are spoken the entire way through. Second, I can hear where there is some superb musicianship within the album; it just isn't executed very well. The drums, being most distractive, just don't have enough bass to compare with rest of the music. Finally, "The Festival" seems to carry a similar sound throughout the entirety of the album. It's almost impossible to know where one-track ends and the other begins. "The Festival" is an interesting listen, but there is still a lot of work to do.